October was far too busy a month for my human attendants! Sometimes Duke William and I had to wait until quite late in the evening for our second salad, and on one notable occasion, the Duchess and the Chancellor forgot to make us our evening salad entirely! Isn’t that just unbelievable? They tried to make up the next morning by fixing us a huge salad and begging forgiveness. I turned my back on them and thumped good and loud to show my disapproval. Then I ate the salad – it wouldn’t do for dear Billy to get all of it, of course.

         The Duchess went off on a series of trips in October. I know that she had a good time because Pal told me all about them. First she went to a city called Enid, to give a lecture and teach a class at the 8^th Annual Oklahoma Global Education Coalition’s Conference, held at Northern Oklahoma College. This year’s theme was “Weaving a Global Tapestry.” It was quite an honor for her to be asked to speak and teach at such an event, so I thought it right that she attend.

From there she went to the first ever Okie Fiber Fest in a place named El Reno. (I thought it was odd that there was a place in Oklahoma named The Reindeer, as there aren’t any reindeer in Oklahoma, except in zoos. Maybe they have a big reindeer herd at the zoo there?) Pal said it was just terrific. He said that three nice ladies, Emmelita, Gwen and Leava, had worked very, very hard and had done a wonderful job organizing the event. She met lots of old and new friends, and had lots of fun spinning with the group and teaching a class in needlefelting (whatever that is). She says she can hardly wait until next year.

If she does attend next year, however, she will have to do better in the gifts department. This year, she brought us home a souvenir: another cat!

Well, actually, this newest addition to my kingdom is only a little baby. The story of the rescue of this waif is quite dramatic. I am sure that the Duchess will tell it in full on Carmelita’s own page in the near future. Pal tells me it was almost too traumatic! He was forced to watch from the van as the Duchess climbed a bridge buttress in pursuit of a tiny -- and very spritely! -- kitten. In Pal’s opinion, the Duchess is far too Rubenesque (as well as feeble and delicate) to be climbing bridges at her advanced age.

Jack is training Carmelita to be a shop-cat, so I don’t have to deal with her too much. He tells me that he spends a lot of time playing with her and trying to wash her. Apparently that is quite a task, as the little urchin is most ungrateful for his ministrations. I must admit that I am sympathetic to little Carmelita in this regard, as I find the idea of a bath quite appalling! She is tortoiseshell and white and is quite prettily marked, and she is very friendly and loving, so she does make an acceptable new member of the kingdom.

During the week Duchess was home, she gave another talk. (Personally, I think they do all these talks for the free food. And Pal never gets any!) This time it was to a group called the Ponca City Women’s Connection. It was held at the local Country Club. (I am sure that is very nice, but if it was in the country I don’t quite see why she couldn’t have taken our big outdoor playpen and let us eat grass and lovely clover and such. Most inconsiderate, I think!)

Then the Duchess went away for nearly a whole week, leaving us to the care of the Chancellor. (This was the infamous week in which they forgot our salad!) This time she was attending a Master Spinners Level I class, offered by Olds College, Alberta, Canada. This was the first time this program has ever been offered in the Midwest, and it was brought here through the hard work of nice lady named Sherry. I personally commend Mistress Sherry for this, as I would never have approved a trip to Canada. Who knows how many salads I would miss, then?

The Duchess took a new spinning wheel with her on this trip. It is quite lovely and was built by Ken and Barbara Lennox, of Winsome Timbers. The wheel is called a “Patience,” although for reasons I don’t entirely understand the Duchess calls this one Anne. It is quite large and very beautiful. The Duchess really loves spinning on it and can make better yarn faster than on her previous wheel.

She had to work very hard in her Master Spinners class and learned many, many new things. I am surprised her poor little brain did not overheat! I know, however, that she enjoyed herself and was thrilled with how much better her spinning got during just that one week. (I was not quite as thrilled. Spinning is important and all, however, on the day she came home, they entirely forgot our evening salad!)

Now the Duchess has a huge notebook full of homework which will take her simply months to do! Plus, she has a cold in her head. Still, she has to work – today she and her father are going out to the airport to put up a display for the Chamber of Commerce. The display is right across the hall from a very popular restaurant that people fly in from all over to dine in.

All in all, the Duchess is quite tired and her nose hurts. Serves her very right, I think. Forgetting a bunny salad! How rude!

Even so, the weather has cooled off to a lovely, fluffy bunny temperature, the leaves are turning colors, and life is good.